Today’s Workout

21-15-9
Burpee Box Jumps
Push Press 105/68

Some honest and true musings from the one and only Christos Celmayster:

There is no question that cheating is happening at the Goodland. This occurrence seems universal to all CrossFit gyms as a Google search for “CrossFit and Cheating” pulls 525,000 search results with endless posts by coaches and CrossFitters about the topic. In nearly all the articles and all the blogs, the conclusions drawn are: “you’re only cheating yourself”, “don’t take it too seriously” and the resounding response, “it’s only a workout”. In fact, we have heard our own coach make mention about “seeing the forest through the trees” and to acknowledge the fact that CrossFit, in its essence and pursuit, is a workout designed to make us fitter, more flexible, more confident and more in tune with our bodies. Ultimately, the end goal is to make us healthier people. However, there is an aspect of CrossFit that incites competitiveness amongst its followers. It is this competitive aspect of CrossFit which makes some shave reps or use poor form to perform faster and makes people like myself enraged by those that do so. I have asked our coach, others at our gym, and myself numerous times, “why do I care?” and “who takes CrossFit more seriously: the cheater or is it me—the guy who leaves the gym impacted by those that cheat? CrossFit’s just a workout, right? Yes and no.

Yes, CrossFit is a workout and we are all there to become healthier humans. However, CrossFit can also be sport (consider what Papas accomplished) and it is extremely competitive. National competitions, regional competitions, local competitions and millions of endorsement and marketing dollars aside, just the fact that almost on a daily basis, our workouts are for either completed for time or for max reps and then posted on a wall for everyone to see, clearly speaks to CrossFit’s competitive nature. The CrossFit platform has taught us to track our daily workouts like statistics in sports. It is through tracking our performances that we are able to set our goals, measure our successes, see our failures, develop our strengths, and discern our weaknesses. It’s also a means by which we can see how we measure up to the other members around us and can be used as friend competition or inspiration to push ourselves hard. I contend that the competitive nature of CrossFit is one of the aspects that makes it enjoyable and has us coming back for more. I believe that friendly competition with others is healthy and when done within the right environment, helps everyone to excel. I have to imagine that those who routinely cheat know intimately the competitive nature of CrossFit as it’s the fear of being judged and compared by their peers which leads to cheating. To this point, I say no—CrossFit is not just a workout. CrossFit is something more that transcends the typical trip to the gym. Who visits Goodland’s website in the morning to see what WOD has been programmed? Who sees names of like Elizabeth or JT and gets nervous and it’s not because it’s an ex? Who talks about CrossFit with other CrossFitters and non-Crossfitters . . . all the time? Who has bought specialized shoes, shirts, and shorts to better CrossFit in? Who has completed Murph or Fran and has shown up at the gym the very next day? Who has completed a monthly long Palleo challenge? Who spends more on their monthly membership dues at CrossFit than a typically gym membership? We all do these things and more to some varying degree.

There are many of us at Goodland that take our workouts seriously and I am one of them. I see many of the same faces and names on the board day in and day out and I have to assume that this not only due to the quality of our workouts but also the enjoyment of trying to perform at our best with the possibility of reaching new plateaus and obtaining our goals. Often times, this plateau is just completing the damn WOD. On more than several occasions I can remember finishing last amongst the men and on some days last amongst the entire class. It has been during these moments when I find completing the WOD impossible, that I have experienced one of the most rewarding aspects of CrossFit: the support of other members. I’ve had some of you encourage me to finish when stopping is all I wanted to do. I’ve had some of you run the last 400 meters of a WOD with me even after you have finished yours. Look around at any given class at those grinding it out until the bitter end and you’ll see people yelling and cheering with support and encouragement. Those that cheat, cheat themselves out of knowing what it’s like to really deserve the reward of being humbled by a hard WOD yet encouraged by their fellow CrossFitters. A cheater won’t ever get to know this because they fold in those moments of CrossFit which are the hardest.

Yes, cheaters cheat themselves and don’t get to reap the full reward of a good workout. Yes, those that cheat, cheat themselves out of experiencing the breadth of support we share for one another. And yes, CrossFit might just be workout in design but to some, it becomes a little bit more. It has become more to me and so I say to anyone cheats, you don’t only cheat yourself but you cheat your fellow athletes out of their hard work, their sweat and sometimes their blood by putting your own self serving interests and insecurities ahead of the individuals whom you workout with and the common collective of our gym. Personally, I’m over the cheaters and I’m over trying to “woosah” myself into being the one who has to see the forest through the trees. My patience in not letting it affect me has worn thin. I have witnessed WODs with shaved rep after shaved rep to achieve times that rank among the best of our athletes. I have tasted too many times the bitterness of finishing a WOD behind someone who has shaved reps.

Unfortunately, regardless of this “rant” or our coach’s guidance, people will still blow through WODs illegally. The reality is, without taking outlandish measures or asking our coach to multiply himself several times over, there is no efficient way to insure that everyone is performing equally. Furthermore, no one is going to call the cheaters out in public, they may still post times with half assed efforts which are rewarded, and their membership certainly won’t be revoked. In the end, regardless of how seriously I take it, I realize that it is just a workout and at our level, it’s not a competitive sport. With that said, I will conclude with one last point: those who cheat don’t cheat in secret. Your peers know you cheat. Realize that it’s being discussed openly when you’re not there. Consider this further, your times are always questioned. You could PR or perform at your peek that day but the first thought by everyone else is doubt. For all we know, all your past and future WODs are tainted.

Don’t mistake this as some Big Brother fear tactic, it’s just the reality of all CrossFit gyms. Some CrossFitters cheat and most everybody else knows who the cheaters are. It’s that simple and it’s recognized by all that we’re all there for the end result but with varying degrees of goals and intensities. I guess I wish it was just approached equally by all.